Japanese milk bread – Per & Lottas Kokbok

In a saucepan, combine water and flour with a whisk until no lumps. Add the milk and combine well again.Pro tip – It is very important to make sure you have no lumps as these will be difficult to remove from the dough.60 g Milk,60 g Water,45 g Bread flour
Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook this mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep stirring constantly to prevent lumps.Pro tip – Keep the heat on medium to low. At first, the mixture will take a while to thicken, but then it does get thicker quickly. So, keep a close eye and take it off just when it reaches almost paste consistency similar to a pudding.
Take it off the heat and transfer into a bowl or plate. Cover and let cool to almost room temperature. Make sure the plastic touches the surface of the tangzhong to prevent a skin.Pro tip – Removing from the hot pan will prevent it from cooking further as we don’t want it to get lumpy.

Yeast mixture – In a bowl of a stand mixer – add the lukewarm milk (no warmer than 110 F) and the yeast. Combine well with a whisk. Then, add the sugar, milk powder, egg, and cooled tangzhong.320 g Warm milk,7 g Instant yeast,30 g Sugar,30 g Milk powder,50 g Egg,1 batch Tangzhong
Combine – Add the flour and salt. Combine well on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until all the flour is well incorporated.Pro tip – scrape the sides of the bowl well to ensure all the flour is well incorporated and do not add more flour unless necessary (1/2 cup).680 g Bread flour,13 g Kosher salt
Knead – Continue to knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes. Then, add the butter and continue to knead for 5 to 8 minutes more until you have a soft, smooth, and elastic dough.Pro-tip – avoid the temptation to add more flour. We want soft, light, and fluffy rolls, and this is only possible when the dough is soft, elastic, yet slightly sticky60 g Butter
Bowl – When the dough is soft and shiny, but still slightly sticky shape it into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl seam side down. Coat the surface with oil to prevent drying. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
Rise – Leave in a warm place. Let rise for 60 to 90 minutes until it doubles in volume.Pro tip – In winter, you may need 90 minutes or more. But in summer, the dough may double in 45 minutes. If you can’t attend to it at that moment, de-gas, reshape, and let double in volume again.

Punch – When the dough is doubled in volume, transfer it to a well-dusted floured surface. Punch down and reshape into a ball. Then roll it into a small log.Pro tip – At this point, there is no need for additional flour. So use a light dusting of flour.
Divide – Using a dough scraper, divide this log into smaller portions. You can make 8 buns x 100 grams each or 12 smaller buns x 60 grams each (similar to dinner rolls).

Hold each piece of dough in your hand and gather all the seams together. Pinch the seams at the bottom then place the ball on a non-flour surface while still holding it in your hand.Pro tip – The un-floured surface creates the tension we need in the dough.
Loosen the grip on the dough and roll it back and forth into a tight circle against the work surface. You will feel the dough become tight and smooth.Pro tip – The goal is to create a tight, smooth ball. If you overdo the rolling, you will rip the top surface which will give a rough, not smooth roll.
Tray – Place the buns on a baking tray leaving enough room to rise and spread. Once you place the ball on the baking tray – flatten it with your fingers.Pro tip – Flatten it will give us that bun not ball shape as it proofs and bakes.

Proof – Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes until almost double in size.Pro tip – Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the rolls.
Oven – When the rolls are almost double in volume, at about 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5.
Eggwash – Brush the buns with egg wash, milk, or cream. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional).Pro tip– Egg wash is a full egg with 2 tbsp of water. An egg wash will give a nice golden color. If you can’t use egg, milk or cream will work just as well. Do not use oil or butter as it will create a crust.1 Egg,2 tbsp Water
Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes until lightly golden on top. When baked, brush with melted butter.Pro tip – If the tops are getting too dark, tent them with aluminum foil. Brushing with butter is optional but adds a nice flavor and keeps the top crust soft.2 tbsp Sesame seeds
Take them out of the pan and cover them with a clean kitchen cloth for at least 5 minutes to keep them soft.Pro tip – Do not leave the rolls in the pan for too long as the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom.

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